The Appalachian Trail might get a little harder

I was sorry to hear earlier this week that the post office branches in Wanakena and Cranberry Lake are both on the list of possible closures — the folks in those towns will have to make quite a drive (Star Lake??) to mail a package. But I didn’t think the post office closings slated to take place around the country would have much affect on hikers… until I read this Associated Press article about closings around the Appalachian Trail.

Hiking the nearly 2,200-mile Appalachian Trail already is grueling, and the U.S. Postal Service may make it even tougher. A plan to close rural post offices could shutter several outposts long used by hikers to receive food and gear as they walk the trail from Georgia to Maine.

Closing the post offices in Fontana Dam, N.C.; Glencliff, N.H.; and Caratunk, Maine, would leave hikers without an easy way to get food and switch out equipment at critical points during their treks, which usually take between four and six months. Those key locations and some others near the trail are being reviewed for closure, though no final decision has been made.

According to the article, three branches along the Pacific Crest Trail could also close. And closures in both locations could add miles of walking to a hiker’s quest.

At the Fontana Dam office, the last resupply stop before the Smokeys, employee Brenda Williams said it’s not unusual for her to give out 30 to 40 packages daily during peak hiking season. It’s the busiest time of year for the post office in the town of about 30 full-time residents.

“Our post office is a little bitty thing with two teller windows,” she said.

In Caratunk, hikers can pick up parcels at the post office less than half a mile from the trail. If that site closes, the nearest post office will be 7½ miles up the road in West Forks, but that one’s also slated for possible closure. The next-nearest is about 15 miles away.

If the branches do close, maybe another business (or a resident) could step in and serve as a depot for hikers’ packages. (For a fee, I’m sure. )